From: nospam@needed.invalid   
      
   On Tue, 9/16/2025 5:48 AM, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:   
   > On Tue, 16 Sep 2025 05:42:52 -0400, Paul wrote:   
   >   
   >> And for the OP, none of this is particularly convenient.   
   >   
   > So you’re saying WSL2 doesn’t give you a genuine enough Linux kernel for   
   > my idea to work?   
   >   
      
   I don't know what it has got, as there is no decent documentation.   
      
   Let's run blkid.   
      
   PS> bash   
   $ blkid   
   $   
      
   Well, don't give up just yet. Who needs error messages really.   
      
   $ sudo blkid   
   [sudo] password for paul:   
   /dev/sda: TYPE="ext4"   
   /dev/sdb: TYPE="ext4"   
   /dev/sdc: UUID="f46af029-a8df-4e4b-a223-4accbd8794c1" TYPE="swap"   
   /dev/sdd: UUID="f722ddb4-b8e6-4d0a-a5be-4ec49b24314c" TYPE="ext4"   
      
   And those are the virtualized components, and not any real storage   
   devices, such as USB sticks.   
      
   Let us try again, this time after I shut down WSL2, plug in a USB stick, run   
   WSL2 and try again.   
      
   $ sudo blkid   
   [sudo] password for paul:   
   /dev/sda: TYPE="ext4"   
   /dev/sdb: TYPE="ext4"   
   /dev/sdc: UUID="37e1ee9a-e9e9-4a93-abfc-b6298624f8fe" TYPE="swap"  <=== makes   
   a new random swap each time   
   /dev/sdd: UUID="f722ddb4-b8e6-4d0a-a5be-4ec49b24314c" TYPE="ext4"  <===   
   consistent Ubuntu distro in container   
      
   $ df   
   Filesystem      1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on   
   none             32895052         0  32895052   0% /usr/lib/modu   
   es/6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2   
   none             32895052         4  32895048   1% /mnt/wsl   
   drivers         124109820  78975248  45134572  64% /usr/lib/wsl/drivers   
   /dev/sdd       1055762868   5160152 996899244   1% /                      <===   
   distro container   
   none             32895052       104  32894948   1% /mnt/wslg   
   none             32895052         0  32895052   0% /usr/lib/wsl/lib   
   rootfs           32890036      2672  32887364   1% /init   
   none             32890036         0  32890036   0% /dev   
   none             32895052       864  32894188   1% /run   
   none             32895052         0  32895052   0% /run/lock   
   none             32895052         0  32895052   0% /run/shm   
   none             32895052        72  32894980   1% /mnt/wslg/versions.txt   
   none             32895052        72  32894980   1% /mnt/wslg/doc   
   C:\             124109820  78975248  45134572  64% /mnt/c   
   D:\              20968444     59656  20908788   1% /mnt/d          <=== Added   
   a drive letter "fixed disk", just not a USB stick   
   H:\             135264344  60774972  74489372  45% /mnt/h   
   S:\             715167740 630943408  84224332  89% /mnt/s   
   snapfuse            65408     65408         0 100% /snap/core20/2582   
   snapfuse            65408     65408         0 100% /snap/core20/2599   
   snapfuse            94208     94208         0 100% /snap/lxd/29619   
   snapfuse            94208     94208         0 100% /snap/lxd/32662   
   snapfuse            50560     50560         0 100% /snap/snapd/24792   
   snapfuse            52096     52096         0 100% /snap/snapd/25202   
   tmpfs             6579008         4   6579004   1% /run/user/1000   
   quant@WALLACE:/mnt/d$ ls /mnt   
   c  d  e  f  g  h  i  k  s  wsl  wslg   
      
   The normal SSD has C:, H:, S: as partitions. That's a "fixed disk".   
      
   The letter D: is a RAM Drive, and the drive translation accepts that.   
   I work there all the time, however some recent change, has changed   
   the "security status" of D: . It throws up a warning I haven't been   
   able to remove. And loading an exception into the OS to make the   
   message go away, is not the right way to deal with that.   
      
   The letter E: is a USB2 drive with NTFS on it. The WSL2 would   
   not "translate" that as a "removable media" device.   
      
   The letter F: is a USB2 DVD burner, and WSL2 would   
   not "translate" that either, as it has a "removable media"   
   status and apparently is treated the same as a USB Stick.   
      
   End experiment.   
      
   There is more to WSL than some bland handwaving. I don't know   
   if the details of "what is missing" is documented somewhere. It   
   could be. But it is not just a Linux kernel and HyperV.   
      
   And WSL is not a place for writing USB sticks. Not even   
   remotely close to suitable for the purpose. /dev layer is not   
   proper. "Removable media" devices not getting mapped.   
   If you have a Sony "Fixed Media" (RMB bit set correctly for it),   
   then E: would show up, but there would be no /dev/sde or similar.   
   There are a few USB sticks that do not detect as Removable Media.   
      
   VirtualBox is a much more complete environment for fun and games.   
      
      Paul   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)